Trouble Holding On
by thegoatromantic
Summary: Ichigo stays late to clean the cafe one night and has an encounter with Ryou that sends both their hearts afluttering. After an interruption by Keiichiro, Ichigo flees the cafe, leaving Ryou to ponder over the events of the night and his feelings for her.
1. First Kiss

Author's Note: Hey, all! It's been awhile since we last spoke! For those of you who haven't read this before, I'm currently in the process of revamping this story. It used to be bad. Really bad. But now it's going to be better, so I invite you all to read the newer, more improved version. Let me know what you think, let me know what you love, and let me know what you hate. I'm a sucker for any reviews!

I don't own any of the characters in this story, however I wouldn't mind owning a few of them. All characters used in this story belong to Mia Ikumi and Reiko Yoshida, not me!

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**Trouble Holding On**

**"First Kiss" (Chapter One)**

Ichigo grumbled to herself, tossing dish after dirty dish into the bucket settled on her hip. Once again, she was stuck at the cafe, _alone_, forced to clean up by herself because Ryou had it out for her. She knew without a doubt that the boy absolutely hated her. Every chance he got, he took the opportunity to explain how she was doing something wrong, and why, and how he, or anyone else could do it better, never forgetting to remind her that he didn't even know why he bothered keeping her around. Aside from being one of the most attractive men she knew, he had no other shining traits about himself, because he was most certainly the foulest, most underhanded, two-faced person she knew. Other than Mint, of course, the pompous, arrogant girl with more money than she knew what to do with. Ichigo ground her teeth together, imagining the two of them sitting around a table, cackling together at her misfortune, singing songs about how stupid and worthless she was. As a pair, they were easily the worst part of each and every day Ichigo had to live through. In fact, it was as if her misfortune was their driving force for existence and they single-handedly thrived off of her misery. She glared at the clock on the wall, cursing the both of them because it had already been at least an hour since everyone else had left for home, and she wasn't even close to being done.

Her face crumpled as she tossed another dish into the rapidly filling bucket. "Stupid Ryou. Stupid Mint. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I hope you both go bald and lose your good looks." She set the bucket on a nearby table, sick of holding the heavy tote, and sighed, taking a moment to rest against the table and gaze about the cutesy cafe. She frowned, rueing the rest of the work ahead of her. Wordlessly, she lifted her hand and started counting off her tasks on each finger. Clean up the dishes. One. Wash the tables. Two. Sweep the floors. Three. Mop the floors. Four. Wash, dry, and put away the dishes. Five, six, and seven. She grumbled, figuring she had at least another two hours left ahead of her before she was finally able to go home, because there was no way she was going to rush through all of it and tire herself out even more. She'd give herself two hours to finish, and if it wasn't done by then, someone else could clean it when they got here tomorrow. For now, however, she vigorously rubbed her face in an attempt to both wake herself and motivate herself in the same motion. The work wasn't going to finish itself, after all. With a renew effort, Ichigo danced around the tables, whistling and humming to herself as she cleaned the tables. For a second, she hopefully thought she might be able to finish everything early.

But then she tripped, sending the full bucket of dishes flying behind her and onto the floor where they all shattered into each no less than a million pieces. At that moment her heart stopped, and all of the blood in her body froze, her soul fleeing her body in tandem, fearing what was going to happen next. A small whimper burbled from her lips before she began stomping her feet on the floor, wishing she were closer to a wall so could bang her head against it. Of course her luck would go like this. She bit her lip, simultaneously stilling her feet and trying not to scream, then looked at the floor where shards of broken porcelain were scattered to all corners of the room. She grumbled, knowing there was no way she could just leave it there and blame it on someone else. Careful not to step on any of the pieces, she wound her way to the back of the restaurant and grabbed the broom and dust pan, deciding to begin her sweep early. She rolled her eyes as she re-entered the main floor and saw the chaos anew.

"Well, at least I don't have to wash the dishes tonight," she murmured, trying to make light of the situation.

If only it were as simple as that. Ichigo cringed, thinking of how small her next paycheck would be once Ryou found out about all the broken dishes. She could just hear his maniacal laughter as he overcharged her for the dainty little dishes, and she could practically see the big zero she'd be getting at the bottom of the check. Knowing how heartless he was, he would probably take away her next paycheck _and_ make her pay him for the dishes. What a jerk. She gripped the handle of the broom roughly, wishing it were his neck she was squeezing rather than a simple, lifeless wooden pole.

Sighing, she set the broom up against the wall and started pushing tables and chairs out of the way, knowing it would take her years longer to brush around everything rather than it would to just move it out of the way. She could again hear Ryou's voice in her head, reprimanding her as she temporarily redecorated the cafe.

"I can't leave you alone for more than two minutes, can I, Ichigo? You really messed up again this time, and you better believe this is coming out of your paycheck. Oh, and make sure you put everything back where you found it. If even one table or chair is out of place, you're staying late again tomorrow night and doing clean up."

Ichigo could practically hear the arrogance in his voice. She lifted her hand and mimicked the situation, her face twisted and angry.

"You're so stupid, Ichigo. Why don't you just stay home with your mommy, Ichigo? We're better off without you, Ichigo. All you do is get in the way, Ichigo." She spat out each sentence, her hand flapping vigorously as she spoke.

"Well, if that's the way you feel about it, it can't be helped, I suppose."

Ichigo spun around, her eyes going straight to the source of the voice; Ryou stood against the opposite wall, his arms crossed as he leaned against the stairway, his eyes twinkling with a self-important malice while he watched her move about. Just seeing him standing there as if he had no troubles in the world bothered her, and Ichigo could feel blood rushing to her face. Her cheeks started getting warm and she knew they were turning a bright, strawberry red. After the night she'd had, she relished the thought of taking out her frustration on the smug scientist, also known as the source of all her misery. She shoved aside a table and rushed to him, her face inches from his by the time she finally stopped advancing. She shoved her finger into his chest and glared up at him, silently pleased by the fact that she had wrinkled his shirt, only a little, but had still ruined its starched purity nonetheless. Serves him right for acting like he's so much better than me, she thought, wishing she could crinkle a whole lot more than just his shirt.

"You're the worst person I know, Ryou! You're so mean, making me do all this work by myself! Maybe if I had someone here helping me, this wouldn't have happened! It's stupid to have only one person cleaning up every night! Haven't you ever thought I might like to go home after I'm done with work? In fact, you should make Mint stay and clean all this up; she never does anything around here! It's always me, me, me doing everything! I'm sick of it!" She huffed at him, out of breath, despising the way even now his eyes were beautiful when she hated him the most. Had this been a more romantic situation, she could have imagined herself getting lost in the calm aqua depths of his eyes. But that wasn't the case, and right now she wished he didn't have any eyes, hair, or teeth. The thought of kindly assisting him in their removal crossed her mind before he spoke again and distracted her.

"Maybe, if you weren't the only one messing up during the day, you would have other people helping you at night. There's no sense in punishing everyone else for your mistakes. Take note of this and be more careful from now on, Ichigo." He smirked at her, obviously enjoying her rage. He tenderly grabbed Ichigo's hand and removed it from his shirt, filling the empty space with the broom's handle. "If you want to finish your work quickly, I suggest you clean up this mess and continue. You might just end up being here all night if you don't start now." He smirked at her and turned around, intending to go back into the basement to work on the computers again.

Ichigo glared at him as he walked away, an evil plan slowly forming in her mind. She looked down at the broom and smirked at it, already seeing the result play out; she would get back to work, but not before she satisfied her bloodlust a little first. She lightly swept the broom across the floor, brushing a small pile of dirt around, then looked up at Ryou from beneath her lashes. He was about three-quarters down the set of half stairs to the basement. Now. Snickering, she tiptoed her way over to and down the stairs, staying a few steps behind him, and quietly stuck out the broom, intending to trip him on his way down. Murphy's law had another idea, and what could go wrong did; instead of tripping him, Ryou turned around, his mouth open to reprimand Ichigo one last time before he left her to her own devices, and his foot brushed the broom to the side, pulling Ichigo down the rest of the stairs separating them and into him. He reacted quickly, grabbing her by the waist and throwing their combined weight toward the wall to center their balance. Ichigo's back hit it with a less-than-gentle thump, but neither fell. They stood together in silence, nobody moving or saying anything.

Ichigo stood with her back pressed into the wall and the hard planes of Ryou's chest holding her in place. She had her face forcefully buried into the crook of his neck because his arm was wrapped protectively around her head, likely to stop her from smacking it against the wall during the stabilization attempt. Her chest puffed in and out slowly, brushing his with each breath she took; he felt solid, something she had always associated with him; Ryou was a man of himself, and if he wanted something, he went out and let nothing get in his way on his quest to obtain it. Ichigo had never fully understood how he was able to do this, never imagining herself being able to do the same. Or maybe just not quite to the extent that he did. After all, he lived away from his parents, not that it was really his choice, he owned his own cafe, _and_ he was involved in some sort of scientific research that she would absolutely _never_ understand. And he did it every day, by himself. But never in her life had she ever thought she would be physically proving her assumptions true. Too scared to move or do anything else, she stood there, letting things happen at their own pace. After all, it was her doing that had gotten her into this terrible situation, and she wasn't going to make matters worse by doing something else and having it go belly up on her. So she stood there, held captive in Ryou's arms, who didn't seem to notice anything amiss.

The minutes ticked by like hours as the pair stood static in their faux embrace. Silence wrapped around them like an over-heavy blanket and the effect was choking. Ichigo was sure she would stop breathing any second from now and simply fall limp into Ryou's arms. Although, she thought, he'd probably just let me drop and hit the floor. Her heart continued to pound rapidly against her chest until it suddenly evened out and she started to relax. She wasn't sure what exactly it was that had caused her frantic heart to slow its fervid pace, but as she slowly started to regain her composure, she took in more details of her situation, namely details she had never before noticed about the man stander with her encased in his arms.

First of all, Ryou's body was warm. A pleasant warmth that chased the chill from the depth of one's bones, the kind one looks for on a blustery winter night to settle down next to, and one that envelops and protects all that it touches. Reluctantly, Ichigo felt herself calming and further pressing herself against it. Just slightly, not enough to alarm anyone, but just in a way that she found herself closer to that core of heat. Her eyelids fluttered shut and her breathing deepened, her body becoming less and less aware of what was happening around her.

The second thing Ichigo noticed about Ryou was that he smelled absolutely fantastic. It was as if the comfort he radiated was somehow represented in a wearable scent, and it rolled off his body in lulling waves. Not assaulting the senses, but not so light that one had to really fight to catch hold of it. Ever-present, but coquettishly dancing around. If Ichigo had to describe it, she would probably say the smell was spicy, but spicy in the way that the forest was spicy; it was a rich scent, completely natural, but had a certain flair that awoke the mind and held it gently. Ichigo found herself wondering if it was something he bought from the store and wore, or if it was just him in all his splendor. She had a half a mind to ask him about it later.

But definitely not now. Starting to become discomforted, she began to squirm a little, causing a small sigh to issue from Ryou's lips before he removed his chin from the top of her head and gazed down at her, his eyes slightly unfocused as if he had been asleep and dreaming only moments before. The look he gave Ichigo made her cheeks flare lightly with heat, and she couldn't help but study his face silently as he watched her. She felt a never-before felt urge to reach up and gingerly touch his face, knowing he would dash if she attempted anything more, and her fingers twitched, eager to try. She held herself still, however, her eyes continue to roam about his face until her eyes caught on his lips, soft and pink before her gaze. She blinked, quickly sneaking a peek at his eyes, then looked down to his lips again, biting her own to contain them from lashing out and locking themselves with his. A sharp inhale of breath caused Ichigo to once again look up, this time into predatory eyes, the aqua no longer calm, but reflecting the image of a dam holding back a turbulent sea storm.

"Ichigo," he murmured, seemingly under the same spell Ichigo found herself entrapped in. He tightened his left arm around her waist and slowly moved the right one around to cup her lightly fuzzed cheek. His thumb moved in circles on the soft skin, and Ichigo felt her eyes growing heavy once more. She looked to him for guidance, finding he was all too willing to lead the way, and without a spoken word between them, he leaned in his head and gently connected their lips together.

The kiss was slow, agonizing, and perfectly maneuvered. His lips pressed against hers, soft and emanating the same heat from earlier, arousing them into action with his. Slightly confused, she stood motionless for a few moments before he pressed harder, a wordless request for more. Ichigo delivered, her lips moving in tandem with his now, the kiss growing more and more heated with each passing moment. Ryou shuffled his arms around, giving Ichigo freedom to use her own, and she laid them hesitantly upon his chest, finding herself drawn to the intoxicating warmth of his body. She clutched his shirt tightly, pulling herself ever closer to him, and moaned quietly when his mouth started to progressively open her lips farther. His tongue shyly reached out, touching lightly on her bottom lip and she paused, not sure what to do.

"Meet me there, Ichigo," he groaned, temporarily separating their faces to look down into her eyes. His hand shifted to the back of her neck and tilted her head to the side, giving him full access to her neck. She moved like a pliant putty beneath his skilled hands, and the thought to resist him never crossed her mind. She wondered if perhaps she had died in her accident on the stairs, and she quickly decided that if this was heaven, she was glad to be here.

Ryou gently lowered his mouth to her ear, blowing a scorching breath upon the lobe and bit down lightly, nibbling and tugging gently on her ear. Her massaged the back of her neck as he did so, enriching the feelings she was currently drowning in and pulling her deeper beneath the waves of their shared passion. He was about to press his lips to the place just behind her ear where the two parts met, but a crash next to the top of the stairs wrenched them apart, both of their hearts suddenly racing. Pushing her roughly away and not sparing her a glance, Ryou rushed up the stairs, stopping just at the top and looking to the right. Had he not just been in a heated embrace with Ichigo, which was rudely cut short by an interruption, he would have chuckled at the sight that greeted him. Instead he stared, the whole of his body rigid and stiff, expectantly waiting for an explanation from the man entangled in the coats upon the coat rack.

Ichigo identified the intruder as Keiichiro as she snuck to around Ryou to see what was happening, and she, slightly less affected by the previous encounter, did chuckle quietly when she saw him. Ryou shot her a quick glance before he looked over to his friend once more. He sighed, his shoulders relaxing, and he walked over, extending a hand to his struggling partner and helped him up. Keiichiro, as nervous and awkward as ever, thanked him, but said nothing more. Tension started to build in the room as Ryou stared his friend down, everyone obviously wondering what was going to happen next.

Keiichiro broke the silence first, nodding his head to Ichigo.

"Oh, you're still here, Momomiya-san? It's been so long since everyone else went home. You should go home." Ichigo started to protest, but Keiichiro held up his hand to still her. "No, no, it's okay Momomiya-san, I'll finish up for you. You work so hard every day." He smiled at her, seemingly unaffected by the awkward tension suspending perilously between them all, and moved aside so she could sneak past him and get to the locker room.

Ichigo looked over at Ryou, wondering how he felt about this change of events, but he looked straight ahead, not acknowledging her in the slightest, and so she shrugged her shoulders and moved around him, quickly tiptoeing to the back room where all of her stuff was carelessly shoved into a minuscule locker against the wall. She dug around in the small container, finally pulling her jacket out of it and shoving her arms through the sleeves faster than she ever had before. She grabbed up her backpack and threw it on her back, immediately racing for the doors. She held her breath as she threw her body against them, sending the doors flying open, much to the surprise of both men standing in the lobby. She continued her fervid escape and ran through the front doors, not sparing either of them a polite goodbye as she fled the building and flew out into the night sky.

It wasn't until she got home that she finally stopped running. Out of breath, she pushed open the front door of her home and leaned against it, her breath all but gone from her lungs. Her chest heaved as she rushed to catch her breath and she thought she would never stop panting. Her mother peeked her head around the corner and looked nervously at her daughter.

"Honey, are you alright? You look terrified." She gave her a motherly look but stayed her place, not wanting to crowd her daughter.

Ichigo nodded, and forced a smile. "I ran home from work because I'm trying to get rid of some of those cupcakes I've been eating lately. Gotta stay fit!" She slapped her stomach, grimacing as she did so, and then picked up her backpack and inhaled deeply, still working on filling her lungs with oxygen. She hugged her mother as she passed her, then plodded her way upstairs, humming a song as if nothing were out of the ordinary. When she finally reached the confines of her bedroom, she dropped her backpack inside the door and gently shut it, not wanting to worry her mother. She backed up against the wooden object and slowly slid down it, her mind racing a mile a minute, thinking over the events of the evening. She touched her lips precariously, as if they were coated in poison and even the tiniest amount would kill her. She licked the appendages, tasting tea and salt, knowing the flavor was both a combination of her kiss with Ryou and her strenuous frenzy to reach her home as fast as humanly possible. Or in her case, as fast as was possible for a hybrid human such as herself.

Ichigo sighed, licking her lips once more, than cradled her legs in her arms and rested her chin on her knees.

How had that even happened, she wondered, replaying the event over in her mind. She had been doing chores, broken some dishes, Ryou came out and yelled at her, then she tried to trip him, and suddenly they were locked in each other's arms, acting as if the key to their survival were buried somewhere in the back of each other's throat. Not that it had exactly gotten that far, but hey, she wouldn't have stopped it even if it had. She considered the way things had gone, and she blushed, ears and a tail suddenly appearing on her body. A warm heat started to boil in the pit of her stomach and Ichigo realized what her compliance meant: did she really have feelings for Ryou? The man who made her life miserable? She thought on all of the times they had been alone together, most of them ending in some sort of argument or spat. There was absolutely no way she had feelings for the pompous man.

But then again, she thought, thinking of the evening he had held a small soiree in the cafe, he had perfectly picked out a beautiful evening gown for her, accompanied her in a dance, and looked at her as if she were the only woman in the room the entire evening. She remembered turning around sporadically throughout the evening, feeling as if someone were watching her, and finding herself surprised to catch his eyes lingering on her. Of course she had looked away before he noticed she had noticed, but she remembered the small feeling of pleasure at knowing he found her attractive that evening. She sighed, once again finding herself utterly confused and without direction. What steps should she take now, should she care to pursue his affections. Ichigo groaned. What even told her he had feelings for her?

She was no dummy, and she knew that a kiss could mean so much, and could also mean nothing, depending on who administered it. She bit her lip, knowing that for her the kiss had been an awakening of sorts, forcing her to admit that perhaps she didn't hate Ryou quite so much as she thought she had. But as for the feelings of the older man? She sighed, slowly tipping over until she was laying on the floor sideways, completely out of motivation and full of tumultuous emotions as her confusion roiled around inside her mind, eating her through and through. She laid that way for what seemed like an eternity before she finally roused herself, deciding that it was much too late past her bedtime and that a good night of sleep was just what she needed after her eventful evening. As she moved around her bedroom, a lingering scent of spice followed her around, taunting her and never allowing her a moment of reprieve until she finally stripped down and changed hurriedly into her pajamas, her mind set to shower in the morning before she went to school. The sooner she fell asleep and stopped thinking, the better.

Sleep was not as forthcoming for everyone, and Ryou scrolled ceaselessly through paragraph after paragraph of scientific research, the words and numbers blurring across his vision. The sound of beeping machinery was usually as music to his ears, his only friend in an ever-changing society, the only constant he knew would always be present, always factual and never hiding the truth, but tonight it only served to aggravate him, his mind much too preoccupied to find the clicks and buzzes calming. He ground his teeth together, his hand tightening on the mouse until he feared it would break. He sighed, his shoulders slowly settling back into a less tense posture. Ryou was frazzled, something he had not been since he had been a young boy tripping though his father's footsteps in an attempt to gain respect from his peers and elders. Disgusted with himself, his ran his hand messily through his hair, tugging lightly as his combed through it with his fingers, and thought of his earlier discussion with Keiichiro.

_Ichigo burst through the doors unexpectedly, scaring both of the two men. Ryou turned around just quick enough to watch the backside of her retreating form and the solemn slamming of the doors moments later. He stood that way, facing away from Keiichiro for a few minutes and let everything sink in and mix around. None of it made sense. He glanced at Keiichiro, who was looking away, as if studying something on the wall. He, especially, did not make sense. Had he known about the embrace? Is that why he had gotten caught up in the coat rack? Why? Ryou turned back to his friend and cleared his throat.  
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_"So?" He studied his friend anew, looking for clues to betray absolutely anything he might have been hiding. It was blank, as always, something that had never before upset Ryou until now; he just could't comprehend this sudden change in demeanor.  
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_Keiichiro gave Ryou a hard look, the situation deepening yet another depth. He nodded his head toward the door, the direction Ichigo had just left. "You're not good for her."  
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_Ryou glared, instantly going to the offensive, not understanding where his friend was leading this conversation. He crossed his arms over his chest, tucking his hands gently beneath his arms and spreading his feet slightly farther apart, his body, too, becoming offensive as it usually did when Ryou was presented with any sort of problem. He always had to be ready, no matter what the circumstance, and given that his friend had never before acted in this manner, he had to be prepared that things might take a turn for the worst. Not that he thought for a moment that Keiichiro would attack him, but the situation was unsettling, and that in itself was enough to put him not only on the defense, but also on the offense.  
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_"Not good for her? What could you possibly mean by that?"_

Keiichiro shook his head in disgust. "That's exactly what I mean. You don't even understand what you've just done. Ichigo is still young and inexperienced. She doesn't need someone to drag her around, building up her dreams only to crush them later. I know you, Ryou, and you're not looking for a serious relationship, you never have been. Ichigo doesn't understand that. If you're not going to be what she needs, you need to end this little romance before it develops any further. I won't let you hurt her." He gave Ryou another pointed stare and then turned away, heading toward the kitchen to do the work he had promised Ichigo he would finish for her, leaving the blond-haired man standing alone in the cafe with only his turbulent thoughts as company.

Ryou tsked, ignoring what his best friend had accused him of and stormed off to his computers, hoping to find solace between the many keystrokes and equations that were always waiting for him. He had scrolled and clicked and observed until he thought he'd go crazy with an information overload, then he had gotten up and paced for ten minutes, only to sit back down and continue to browse through his research again.

But that had been nearly two hours ago, and Keiichiro had long since gone to bed; Ryou had heard the doors upstairs opening and closing, signaling that his friend had finally retired for the evening. Sighing, Ryou wished that he, too, were able to find peaceful slumber, but knew that it would still be hours before he would finally go to bed, Keiichiro's words rolling and tumbling over themselves in his mind.

Not what Ichigo needed? First of all, he thought, he had been there for all of the girls since the beginning, the backbone to the entire operation. So he had not only been there for Ichigo, but for everyone else, and the fact that Keiichiro had told him he wasn't what she needed was ridiculous. Everyone involved needed him. It was a simple fact. And if he decided that he would support Ichigo alone, then so be it. That was his choice to make, not Keiichiro's. He could be what Ichigo needed, plus more.

If he wanted to. When he had held Ichigo securely in his arms, it has only been to protect her at first. He wasn't a monster, he was a human, and any life was important to him, regardless of how irresponsible and annoying it could be to him at times. So he had done his Samaritan duty and protected her from danger. But when the first wave of strawberry sweetness drifted up from her cottony pink hair, he found himself lost in a candy whirlwind that he couldn't escape from. Images of her mewing desperately beneath his skilled hands as he brought her to pleasure flashed through his mind, racing through his body and fueling further thoughts to blossom. _Her body arching against his as he gently, and tantalizingly, stroked her flames, his hands covering and discovering every inch of her lucious, toned body, slipping beneath the sexy maid outfit he forced her to wear to work every day. As sexy as it was, he knew it would be so much sexier on the floor with him in its place on her body. His hands reached from her shoulders, lower and lower, the fabric of her uniform dragging against her heated flesh as it dipped closer and closer to unveiling her pert, virgin breasts. _It had taken all of his self control to stop himself from acting out the erotic fantasy he had playing in his head, and he forced himself to stay still, hardly moving an inch as he willed his body back to a semblance of control.

Ryou grunted softly, his body beginning to ache again with the thought of Ichigo and himself, and he considered, finally allowing Keiichiro's words some presence in his lustful thoughts, what his intentions with Ichigo were. Was she just a toy to him, an object to unleash some of his long reined passion to escape, or was she more than that, was she someone he wanted to be with and protect with his life, for the rest of his life? He turned back to his screens, hoping to get lost in the data for at least a little while longer, and to stop himself from thinking about things he would rather not ponder on.


	2. Second Glance

Author's Note: Hello! Here's my usual second update for the day! I might even have one more update out for another story today because I'm feeling inspired. Yippee! I don't know why, but I am, and it's very good. I have more good news, and that is that I know where I want to go with this story now! Yay! This update took so long because I didn't know what I wanted to do and so I ignored it...but now that I know what I want, I should be able to get out more uploads again! Cheers again! I'm not sure how long this story is going to be, so I guess it'll be a surprise for all of us in the end. Hahaha. Well, here's chapter 2, I hope you enjoy it!

Also! I want to thank **dbzgtfan2004** and **shippofan2k** for their reviews! I'm very glad that they took the time to tell me what they thought and encouraged me to continue! So, I guess this chapter is kind of dedicated to them...So, thank you, you two, and please enjoy this chapter!

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**Trouble Holding On**

**"Second Glance" (Chapter 2)**

Ichigo grumbled angrily as her alarm clock went off and jutted her hand out from under the warmth of her blanket, throwing it around wildly in an attempt to turn off the horrid noise coming from her nightstand. She groaned and peeked her head out from underneath the mound of pillows and blankets and looked out the window. She blinked once, slightly confused, and then looked down at her phone. Her eyes drooped shut as she grabbed her phone, and breathing started to deepen for a few moments before her eyes flew open once more and she pressed a button on her phone. Saturday. She looked back up at the window and could tell that the sky was still dark, meaning it was early in the morning. She glared down at her alarm clock and then buried her face in her pillow, sighing with defeat. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten to turn off her alarm clock the night before. She lay facedown in her pillow for a few more minutes and then finally sat herself up, deciding that sleep was no longer an option for her. She stood up slowly and yawned, stretching out her body in a feline manner and fought the urge to lick her hand and run it through her hair, forcing herself to gaze sleepily around her room instead.

As she looked around her bedroom, the events of last night came back to her and she blushed, feeling like a fool for acting so ridiculously around Ryou. Their kiss came to mind, and Ichigo's blush deepened, turning more red. She sighed and ran to her bathroom, deciding that she needed to occupy herself until she had to go into work.

Ryou, meanwhile, was laying in his bed, feeling that he did not need to wake up yet, and so he stared lazily up at the ceiling, looking for shapes in the dots and still thinking about what had happened last night. His lips tingled and he could feel his cheeks warm up as he thought about the way she had responded to him. It had been so nice, and he wanted to hold her in his arms forever, just the two of them all alone. He sighed, not knowing when his feelings for Ichigo had changed and evolved so much. As far back as he could remember, he was able to think of her as an annoyance, even though she wasn't one, and he had been able to keep her at a distance. But now, he thought, rolling his head to the side, now he wanted to hold her and kiss her and never let her go.

A knock on his door caught his attention and Akasaka's voice chimed from behind it. Ryou frowned and looked over at his clock, not understanding why Akasaka was here so early. When he gazed down at the bright red numbers on the clock he nodded, seeing that it was later in the morning than he thought it was.

"Ryou, are you awake in there?" Ryou grunted and rubbed his eyes, forcing himself to sit up. His blanket fell from his chest and fell into a heap at his hips, exposing his bare chest. He yawned and stretched his arms high over his head, a few bones cracking as he reached higher and higher. He closed his eyes for a moment and yawned, disliking the state he was in this morning. He grimaced as Akasaka opened the door, which made a loud creaking noise as he pushed it farther and farther toward the wall, and Akasaka just smiled. Ryou rolled his eyes. Akasaka was such a morning person. For a moment he was jealous of his friend, but shrugged his shoulders and realized that he didn't care if he was a morning person or not. Akasaka nodded toward Ryou as he walked to the window and threw the blinds open. Light flooded into the room and Ryou groaned loudly, causing Akasaka to look over at him with a worried expression.

"Is everything alright, Ryou?" Akasaka took a step toward him and Ryou put up his hand, stopping the tall man in his tracks.

"I'm fine, just have a little headache is all." He paused and yawned again. "It feels like I got hit with a sack of bricks." Akasaka shook his head at Ryou and walked back toward the door, his ponytail swaying as he took long steps. He paused in the doorway and looked back toward Ryou, who was gradually making his way out of bed.

"I'll have some breakfast ready soon, so don't take too long or else it'll get cold." Ryou nodded, only listening to half of the things he said. Akasaka knew he hadn't really heard him, but he walked off regardless. His shoes clicked on the stairs as he walked down them, and Ryou moved around his room when he could not hear them anymore. A thought dawned on him as he tugged a shirt over his head, and he paused to look at the door. He still hadn't been able to figure out a reason for Akasaka's interruption last night, and he made a mental note to himself to ask his friend the reason for his behavior when he went down to eat breakfast. Ryou's stomach growled as the light scent of food wafted up to his bedroom and he made quickly for the door, not wanting to wait for food any longer. Especially since whatever his friend had made smelled so delicious. He smiled, knowing that it probably tasted delicious as well, and slowly closed the door behind him as he left his room. He cringed as it squeaked shut. I'll have to oil that, he thought as he walked down the stairs two at a time.

When he entered the kitchen, the soft smell that had penetrated his room earlier attacked him, causing him to take a step backward. It was delicious and Ryou wiped the corner of his mouth, getting rid of the drool that he suddenly found flooding his mouth.

"Geez, Keiichiro, this smells wonderful!" he said as he marched into the kitchen. His friend looked over his shoulder and smiled at him, pancake batter spatterings all over his face. Ryou motioned toward his face and Akasaka just smiled, nodding.

"I know. Cooking's a messy job." He grinned and grabbed a plate of pancakes, which he put in front of Ryou. "Eat up, I made a lot." Ryou nodded, not needing another invitation to start eating. He moaned as he put the first piece in his mouth, enjoying the pancakes more than he thought he would, and quickly cut himself up a few more pieces, which he shoveled into his mouth as soon as he finished chewing the last few pieces. Akasaka noted his friend's reaction and laughed. "Perhaps I should have made more."

Ryou shook his head, knowing that he would be full soon, and motioned for his friend to sit down. He looked up at him with a childishly happy look on his face and waved his fork at him. "You made enough," he said, looking back down at his plate to find a few more pancakes sitting on it, "Now eat yours before they get cold." He smiled at Akasaka and redirected his attention to his breakfast when he finally sat down.

Akasaka ate his pancakes daintily, not wanting to make a mess on the countertop, which Ryou thought was ridiculous, considering how messy the rest of the kitchen was, but he didn't say anything to his friend, only watched him slowly place tiny pieces of pancake int his mouth. Not a crumb fell from his fork and Ryou was amazed. The two sat in companionable silence for a while until Ryou cleared his throat and looked over at his friend. His eyes were now serious and he was ready to get down to business. Akasaka's eyes took on a similar appearance, knowing what his friend was about to say.

"Why'd you do it, Keiichiro?" Ryou placed his elbow on the counter and stared at his friend, never taking his gaze off of his face. It didn't matter, though, because Akasaka's expression never changed. The tension in the air got a little thicker and the two could feel it. Ryou placed his fork on the table and waited for an answer, which came sooner than he had expected.

"Because you can't care for her properly." Ryou clenched his jaw, trying not to be offended by Akasaka's blunt words.

"How do you figure?" He ground out, trying not to yell.

"You've got too much going on. You'll never be able to give her the attention she needs." Akasaka stared at Ryou, still not daunted by the conversation. He could see the rage building in his friend's eyes, but he continued, knowing that his friend needed to hear what he had to say. "You're neck deep in how many companies now, Ryou? Those companies need a lot of time and care, and you won't be able to give Ichigo the attention she deserves and still manage the companies." Ryou sighed and looked away, knowing that Akasaka had a point.

"But, Keiichiro," he said, looking up at his friend from beneath his hunched shoulders, "I just can't let her go. I care for her too much." Akasaka reached his hand out and touched his friend's back in an effort to comfort him. The warmth from Akasaka's hand seeped into Ryou's back and warmed his body, but did nothing for his icy heart. He gently shrugged his friend's hand away and stared at him. "Keiichiro, help me." Akasaka looked down at Ryou and frowned, staring straight into his eyes.

"I can't. I don't have the answer for everything." He paused for a moment and then looked up at Ryou again. "Just let her go, Ryou. It's for the best." Ryou shook his head, refusing to believe what Akasaka told him.

"There has to be a better answer." Ryou looked up into Akasaka's eyes with a determined gleam in his eye and he stood up and walked toward the door. "I'm not giving up just yet, Keiichiro, so believe in me for a little while longer."

As the kitchen doors swung shut, Ryou's heart rose and fell heavily in his chest. He had no clue what he was going to do, but he knew that he had to do something. There was no way he was giving up Ichigo now, not now that he had finally allowed himself to feel for her like his heart had wanted so badly to do for so long. He would fight for her as long as he had to, just like he had done when the aliens had came and started causing problems. He would not walk away from Ichigo now.

But it seemed that she would walk towards him. Almost directly after he had walked out of the kitchen Ichigo had walked into the cafe and was heading toward him. She was completely oblivious as she walked and he cleared his throat, catching her attention and stopping her from bumping into him again. She heard him and looked up, gasping. She quickly began to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, Shirogane. I wasn't watching where I was going. I'll try to pay more attention." Ryou sighed and shook his head at her. As much as he did not want to scold her, he knew he had to or else her absentmindedness would break more dishes than he would like today.

"Ichigo, you need to watch where you're going. I can't afford all the dishes you break everyday." He gave her a hard look and she bit her lip and looked away.

"I said that I'd try to be more careful. Geez." She tried to sound like she didn't care but Ryou could feel her hurt and his heart ached. He hadn't meant for it to affect her so much, it was only a warning, just like usual. His hand twitched, wanting to reach out and touch her shoulder, but he held it back, knowing that now was not the time to allow his emotions to get in the way. He sighed, looking down at Ichigo and then walked away from her, not trusting himself to be near her any longer. He waved his hand at her, but he wasn't sure she saw it.

"Go ahead into the kitchen and have some pancakes. Keiichiro made too many this morning." Ichigo looked up at him, slightly confused at his change of behavior. He had always been pretty random with his moods, but they never failed to surprise and confuse Ichigo. He almost had more mood swings than a female, but Ichigo would never tell him that. She sniffed the air lightly, remembering what Ryou had said, and was amazed at the smell that was hanging in the air. She turned toward the kitchen and started to run, wanting to be closer to the food that was making the delicious smell. She threw open the kitchen doors and sighed.

"Akasaka, it smells so good in here." She inched her way over toward the plate of pancakes and looked down at it, obviously wanting to devour it. She looked up at Akasaka and batted her eyelashes. Her eyes pleaded at him, and he laughed.

"Of course, Momomiya, help yourself. Don't mind me, I'm just doing some cleaning. Cooking is a really messy hobby." He smiled at her, who was completely oblivious to what he was saying. The minute he had allowed her to eat the pancakes was the minute she shut everything else out of her mind and started to chow down on the light, fluffy pancakes. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh.

"Aksaka," she said, her cheeks puffy with pancakes, "These are the best pancakes I've ever had!"

Akasaka smiled again. "Well I'm glad you like them. There's more if you want them, but not much more. Ryou enjoyed the pancakes as well."

Ichigo huffed, and turned her hear away from him. "Who cares what Shirogane liked or disliked?" She looked down at her plate, suddenly not hungry anymore, and she pushed her plate away. Ryou was a sore subject for her right now, because she was very confused. Up until last night he had given her no indication that he had any interest in her as anything other than a fighter, but then he kissed her last night and she wasn't sure what was going on anymore. She looked up to Akasaka, who was still happily cleaning up the mess that covered the kitchen.

"Akasaka, why did Shirogane kiss me?" The question caught him off guard and he dropped a pan, which clattered to the countertop loudly. He turned and slowly looked at her. He wasn't quite sure what to tell her and how to tell it to her. He didn't want to lie to her, but he certainly did not want to make life harder for either one of them. He decided to dodge her question, and chose to give her a neutral answer.

"I'm sorry, I have things I have to do. Perhaps I can answer questions some other time?" He cringed inside, not wanting to choose the weak way out, but he couldn't risk messing anything up or making anything worse. As soon as Ichigo left the kitchen he slumped his shoulders and blew a deep breath into the bubbles below him. They sprayed all over the counter and slowly popped, one tiny piece at a time. At this point, anything could happen, and he hoped that whatever happened was for the best. He didn't want to see either of his two friends get hurt, and he hoped that whatever they were able to decide did not permanently hurt either one of them. They were both so lively, and it would be painful to watch them pass their days in silent misery. If it came to the worst, he would force Ryou to leave Tokyo and have them relocate to another country. He hoped that wouldn't have to happen.

Ichigo left the kitchen's in a worse mood than she had entered them in. As well as being confused and upset, she was now being ignored by Akasaka and she didn't like it. It would be an unenjoyable day of work for her today if everyone kept avoiding her, and she really did not want work to be any less fun than it usually was. On a usual day, she would be unhappy, but today would just be hell. Ichigo sighed and headed toward the staff rooms to dress for the day. She figured that she might as well get ready now so that she wasn't rushed to later. She also felt that the sooner she got dressed, the sooner the day would be over and she would be able to go home.

The cafe was quiet, still preparing for the day, and Ichigo could easily hear the lock click as Ryou unlocked it. She sighed again, knowing that she would want to do so for the rest of the day, and tugged the apron on over her uniform and pushed open the doors to go back into the dining area. She walked out slowly, hoping that Ryou would be out of the room by the time she got there, but he was not, and she watched him fix tables from across the room. He looked around while he set them and he caught her staring at him from the corner of his eye. He visibly frowned and Ichigo looked away, building up her nerves. She'd need to have a strong hold on her emotions today if she was going to get through it without dying. Or screaming.


	3. Third Parties

Author's Note: Woohoo! Two chapters uploaded today! Don't forget to review after you read! Enjoy!

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**Trouble Holding On**

**"Third Parties" (Chapter 3)**

Work, as Ichigo had known it was going to be, was terrible. She had been distracted all day and being able to hear Ryou's voice off in the distance at all times did not help her at all. His voice had been constantly pleasant as he greeted the customers, and Ichigo felt a small pang of jealousy in her heart. While she would not yet agree to listen to her heart, she did admit that she felt jealous of the way he treated the customers. After all, the only talking he had done with her was to scold her and tell her to get back to doing work. She could almost swear that he had been giving her more work to do today than he usually did, and she was upset. Just because he didn't want to talk to her didn't mean he had to give her more work, but she did not bring it up and she did not plan on it. The last thing she wanted was to make him angrier because it meant that he would probably give her more work yet, and she was swamped with the current work she had.

Things had gotten no better around lunch. She had been hoping all morning that maybe things would get better as the day went on, but as the lunch hours came and passed, she realized her day was going to be terrible all day without change. The realization did nothing for her mood and she felt as if it was affecting her work. She would sometimes find herself forgetting what she was supposed to be doing and she would end up dropping a plate on the floor, and only when it shattered was she brought back to the cafe. During the day she had broken a total of three plates, one glass, and one bowl, which was a lot more than she usually broke. Each time she broke a dish Akasaka would quietly and solemnly come to her with a broom and dustpan and he would sweep up the glass, then carry it away from her. She never had to call for him once; he just showed up, almost as if he expected it to happen. She felt bad that she had broken so many dishes, but she couldn't really find it in herself to feel really bad. Offhandedly, she realized that the money for the dishes would come out of her paycheck, but it didn't upset her. Not as much as it usually did, which was a lot. She went through the entire day in the same kind of stupor, and nearly cried with happiness when the day was finally over. When the last customer finally exited the shop doors she was already running toward the changing rooms. She was eager to leave this place for the day, and she almost wished she never had to come back.

Ichigo was nearly out of her uniform when the other girls finally entered the room. They all looked as exhausted as she felt, and she realized that her mood during the day had probably made troubles for them as well. When she made a mistake, someone else had to be there to correct it for her and help her. She frowned, and it made her feel worse. She opened her mouth to say something to Mint as she walked but Mint put up her hand.

"I don't want to hear it, Ichigo." Ichigo frowned and looked toward Lettuce and Pudding. They both looked at her pityingly, and tried to make her feel better. Lettuce came up to her and placed her hand on her back lightly and Pudding stared up at her, simply hugging her legs.

"It's okay, Momomiya," Lettuce said, rubbing Ichigo's back lightly. "We all make mistakes sometimes." Ichigo nodded but could see how tired Lettuce was. She knew that Lettuce meant what she had said, but it still did not change how tired she was. She looked down at Pudding, hoping the small monkey girl had not suffered too much. Luckily, she did not look as tired as the rest of them did, and Ichigo felt a small wave of relief wash over her. The young girl smiled at her and grabbed her hand.

"It's okay, Ichigo! I still love you, even if you are bad at balancing stuff on your hands." The little girl smiled brightly up at her and Ichigo felt herself smile a little. She kneeled down and pulled the girl into her arms, giving her a tight hug.

"Thank you, Pudding. That makes me feel a lot better." Ichigo rubbed the little girl's head and looked back over at Mint, who had her back turned. Ichigo frowned, but knew that it was no use trying to placate Mint. It was better to just let her alone until she decided that she would accept Ichigo to talk to her again. Ichigo stood up slowly and stretched her back. She was glad to be back in her comfortable clothes and out of her starched uniform. While the uniform was quite adorable, it was also pretty difficult to move nicely around in. It was only a part of the atmosphere of the cafe. Ichigo yawned once and walked toward the doors. She was more than ready to go home, and regardless of whether or not she wanted to apologize to her friends a million times over, she was tired and wanted to go home and crawl into her bed, maybe never crawl back out of it again. Ichigo turned and waved goodbye to everyone as she exited. "Goodnight, everyone! See you tomorrow!"

Lettuce and Pudding smiled and waved, but Mint continued to dress, completely ignoring Ichigo. She hadn't thought that she was that bad today, but maybe she was and didn't realize it? She wished she knew what she had done to make Mint so angry, because her friend had never been this angry at her before, despite the fact that they were not very close friends to begin with.

Ichigo walked through the doors of the dressing room and out into the open cafe. Most of the tables were already cleaned off and that meant that she did not have to stay longer. She silently thanked whatever higher power had deemed to make her life easier, and ran for the doors, hoping to escape as quickly as possible. She had made it out the doors before things chose to get difficult again.

Ichigo had to make a sudden stop lest she wanted to run into Ryou. Not that she didn't want to, but she didn't think it was an opportune time to do something like that. So she stopped, and fell. Her legs slid out from under her and she landed painfully on her bottom. She groaned, staring up at the darkening sky, and closed her eyes. Today was not her day.

Ryou looked over his shoulder, not realizing that someone else was outside with him. He frowned when he noticed Ichigo on the ground, and he sighed. He had come outside to escape her, but it seemed like fate had an entirely different plan for him and handed him Ichigo on a silver platter. He wanted to yell and demand that they take her back, just for a little while, but he couldn't and so he stood up and walked over to her body. Her breathing was even, but she wasn't asleep. She just laid there, and as Ryou watched her, he realized that he couldn't take away her happiness and innocence. Her face was so calm and she looked almost at peace. If he entered into her life, she'd never smile again. She would always frown and Ryou would blame himself for it constantly. He'd never be able to give her what she wanted, no matter how badly he wanted to give it to her, and in the end they would both be hurt. He turned away and walked into the building, leaving Ichigo laying on the steps outside in the fading evening light.

As Ryou walked away, Ichigo peeked open one of her eyes to watch him. The doors weren't very far away from her, and so he disappeared through them very quickly. When they finally latched shut again she sighed and opened both of her eyes. She felt cowardly for not talking to him, but she was afraid to after the way he talked to her earlier in the day. When she had tried talking to him she was ignored, and he only gave her short, one word answers that said he didn't want to talk to, or have anything to do with, her. It hurt, knowing that he wanted her enough to kiss her the night before, and then having him ignore her because he didn't want her anymore. She felt used by him, but for some reason she couldn't help but feel like that wasn't the complete truth.

Ichigo shivered slightly, noticing a chill beginning to creep into her bones, and she picked herself up off the steps and looked around. Everything was covered in an orange glow and it was beautiful. If the weather hadn't gotten so cold, Ichigo would have stood outside the cafe and looked at the scenery for a while longer. As it was, it was cold, and as her stomach grumbled, she realized she was hungry as well. With one glance back at the cafe, Ichigo began walking and was soon far away from the little cafe.

Ryou watched her walk away, and every step she took pained him to watch. He hadn't said anything to her all day, other than short, direct words. He hadn't talked to her about what had happened the night before because Akasaka's words were still roaming through his head. He had to figure out a way that he could bring her happiness and still manage his businesses at the same time. So far he had been unable to figure anything out and he had to let Ichigo walk away from him without an explanation. He rested his elbows on the windowsill and buried his face in his hands. He hadn't been faced with such a difficult dilemma in a long time, and it was wearing on him. He had to figure something out soon, there was no way he could deal with this for a long period of time. He did, after all, having things to manage and take care of, one such thing being the very cafe he was standing in.

The remaining three girls walked out of the dressing room chatting and paused when they noticed Ryou at the window. Lettuce blushed and walked up to him.

"Is there something wrong, Shirogane?" He shook his head and straightened his posture. He refused to let the rest of the girls know what was going on, especially since it involved their coworker and friend. He shook his head again.

"No, I'm fine. Just a little exhausted is all. Ichigo broke quite a few things today, and they weren't exactly cheap either." Ryou prided himself on the fact that the things he offered his customers were high quality goods and services at cheap, affordable prices. He took no shortcuts and his efforts paid off; the things he managed were all very popular and made him a lot of money. Of course, none of the other places he managed had genetically altered supergirls in maid outfits serving them, but they were still successful in their own way.

Lettuce seemed to accept his answer and she stepped away, slightly embarrassed that he had brushed her off so easily. She moved back and attempted to hide behind the other girls. Mint moved to the side and gave Lettuce a disapproving glare. The green haired girl just cringed and looked around the room to avoid Mint's glares.

The small monkey girl had no qualms about the situation and went on in her usual cheery manner. "Don't worry about it too much, Shirogane, because Ichigo will be all better tomorrow." She smiled and waved at him. She had to get home to her brothers and sisters before they wondered where she had gone to.

Lettuce followed out soon after her and then only Mint remained. She stood proudly and looked over Ryou, examining him for something. When she finished her examination she let out a huff of air and lifted her nose up. "You're just as stupid as she is," she said, and then took her leave of the building as well.

Ryou watched her form retreat into the darkness as well and pulled out a chair. He fell heavily into it and closed his eyes again, the words of the three girls running through his mind again.

Just as bad as Ichigo? Had he really been that mopey and distracted all day? He was sure he had not, and chalked Mint's strange words up to the fact that she was very insightful and probably noticed something that the other girls did not. He briefly opened his eyes to glance over his figure, but he could find nothing out of the ordinary. Mint was strange, and he could not figure out what she had seen. He would possibly ask her later, if he ever remembered to.

Lettuce had just been her usual self and tried to cheer him up. He had noticed the way her cheeks turned red and he felt bad for her. He would never be able to see her as anything more than a teammate and worker, and he had the feeling that she hadn't quite grasped the concept yet. Hopefully she would, otherwise it would make things very awkward for everyone if he had to deny her.

His mind passed over the little monkey girl, and he admired her innocence and enthusiasm. She had so much responsibility for someone so young, and she managed it very well. He would have to do more for her in the future to easy her troubles and make her life more fun. There were so many things he had to do, and so little time to do it in. Sure, he was still young, only a little over twenty, but there was still so much he had to do and he felt like he would never accomplish it. Ryou sighed as he realized what his decision was going to be, and he moved slowly through the building as he searched for Akasaka. He found his friend cleaning the kitchen again, and he made no noise as he sat down on a chair at the counter. His friend turned around and instantly noticed his friend's sullen face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, quietly scrubbing the inside of a glass. Little squeaks were heard as the wet cloth slid over the smooth surface of the glass, and then it finally stopped when Akasaka had doused it back into the water. He pulled it out and began to dry it when Ryou finally answered him.

"I've spent the entire day thinking about what I'm going to do with Ichigo." Akasaka frowned and Ryou continued to talk. There was no way that anything that came out of Ryou's mouth in the next few minutes was going to be very good. "I finally figured it out." Ryou glanced up at his friend with pain evident in his eyes. Akasaka's heart dropped, and he felt guilty for the miserable mood his friend was in. "We're going to move to one of our other locations for a while. We'll find someone to manage this place for a while. I've got so much stuff that needs taking care of, and the sooner I deal with it, the sooner I will be able to be with Ichigo." Akasaka gripped the glass tighter, afraid he would drop it. When he had thought about forcing his friend to move, he had never really thought of it as an option. Apparently if he had considered it, it would have been easier than he thought to encourage Ryou to move. His face paled and he spoke carefully.

"Ryou, don't you think that's a bit...welll...drastic? Ichigo is only a girl, you know, and she'll probably find her affections drawn elsewhere if you two were to get together." Ryou shook his head.

"I already know this. When we move, Ichigo will have the option to look for other people. If she finds someone, I'm sure she will date them. I do not expect her to wait for me." He noticed the worry on his friend's face and tried to placate him. "Don't worry, Keiichiro, it'll be fine." The tall man nodded slowly, still not believing what he was hearing.

"We're moving tonight, by the way," he said, looking at his friend. "I'll call around for someone to manage this place and have them in by morning. I've got some people that would be willing to fly over right away." Akasaka set the glass on the counter and ran his hand over his head. He looked up and saw that there was no way he could argue with his friend, and so he said, "Alright, let me go get packed."


	4. Four Friends Only

Author's Note: Friends! I apologize a lot in these, don't I? Well! Not this time, I mean, this time I should, I _really_ should, but I'm not going to. I'm going to let you know that I feel terrible for making you wait, but I'm going to push this chapter at you and surprise you by telling you I've decided to write another one. Yay, another chapter!

So I know I took _foreeeever_ to get this chapter out, but I completely forgot about it and finally finished it up tonight. It's really strange, but I feel like I'm better at writing later in the evening. Don't quote me, though, because I don't want to find out I'm wrong and have a bazillion people coming after me with beautiful, burning messages telling me how wrong, and stupid, I am. Gah! I'm blathering like a certain AC owl. Anyway, enjoy this chapter, please comment on it and tell me how you like it, and enjoy it, because I finally remembered to write it.

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**Trouble Holding On**

"**Four Friends Only**" (**Chapter 4)**

Ichigo gaped at the less-than-beautiful-man-who-was-definitely-not-Shirogane and crossed her arms, anger clearing sparking from her eyes and ears.

"What do you mean 'Shirogane left last night'? Left where? When's he coming back?" She barraged the man with questions and groaned when he told her that he could not help her. Was that the only thing he could say this morning? Ichigo had come in, still upset from the night before, and found the greasy oaf walking around inspecting things, touching them with eyes full of amazement and wonder, as if he had never seen anything like it before in all of his life. At first, she had been hesitant to approach him, wondering if he was some sort of creep with amazing lock-picking skills that had managed to break into the cafe, but she had finally worked up her courage and approached him, immediately questioning why he was in the cafe. All she had been told was a bunch of stammered, ignorant answers, and from what she could discern, the man knew about as much as why he was here as she did.

The fat man shrugged his shoulders helplessly and pushed his glasses back up on his crooked, misshapen nose, then eyed her casual street clothes. She shivered as he glanced over her body, then whimpered when he spoke; his voice was high and nasally when he responded to her and it made her want to claw at her ears until they bled. Never before in her life had she heard someone whose voice was this terrible. She could've swore that a tear fell down her cheek as the realization that she would be taking orders from this disgusting blob of a man for an indeterminate amount of time.

"I don't know where he went or when he'll be back." He sniffled and pulled out a handkerchief, which he rubbed harshly against his nose and then jammed back into his pocket. He gazed back up at her, his eyes sparkling appreciatively as he glanced over her body once again, then sighed as if he were explaining something to a young child for the hundredth time. "Like I said, he called me last night and told me that I needed to manage the Mew Mew Cafe for a while because he was leaving. I don't know any more than that." With a piggish snort he turned his back on her and continued to inspect the things around him.

Completely sick of dealing with her new boss, Ichigo turned away from the man and stomped her feet angrily, enraged that Shirogane had up and left overnight without telling anyone. She clenched her hands, resisting the urge to reach out and clobber the fat man who liked to stare, and walked back toward the dressing room to report her findings to the other girls, who she knew from experience were already in there waiting, most likely already knowing what she had just discovered. Ichigo knew the other girls would be discussing it, quietly so as not to gain the interest of the strange new man, and that their feelings, in the end, would be just as hurt as Ichigo's were. But not more. Their pain would be nowhere near what the pain Ichigo was feeling. She just couldn't believe that Shirogane would walk out on her like that.

The more she thought about it, the more angry she became, and soon Ichigo worked herself into a red-faced rage. How dare he leave after kissing her? She felt used, even more so than when she was ordered to do nigh impossible tasks during work hours, and she couldn't help but shake with fury and shame as she entered the dressing room, slamming the door shut thunderously behind her.

The girls looked over at Ichigo quickly and then nervously went back to doing what they had been before the pink-haired girl had stormed into the room, fearful of invoking her obvious rage; on a normal, day-to-day basis the feline woman was hard enough to deal with, her mood swings as crazy as those of a menopausal woman, but today, where her emotions were already running high, all of the girls, even Pudding, feared what Ichigo might feel like if they said even one wrong thing to her.

"That idiot! He left! As in he's gone! He left a pig-nosed creep in his place! How dare he do this to us!" Ichigo paced in front of the door, her face set in a grimacing scowl, then she walked over to her locker and opened it, slamming it's door against the other lockers behind it with a loud, metallic clang. "I can't believe that no-good Shirogane!" Her words echoed off of the cool walls around her and she wanted to cry.

She had thought that she meant more to Shirogane than one experimental kiss, but apparently not, seeing as how he fled in the middle of the night with his tail between his legs. Ichigo wanted to cry and throw her arms around, maybe even bury her face in a pillow, but she couldn't and it made it difficult. She was sure tears were forming in the corners of her eyes and threatening to spill over and fall down her cheeks. She bit her lip and rested her face against the locker door. It hurt so much.

* * *

"I'll be right back with your order. " Ichigo smiled at the customers who were sitting around a cutely decorated table and then turned, heading toward the kitchen to have their order filled.

It had been three years since Shirogane left, and though it had taken time, Ichigo had been able to accept what had happened and was eventually able to put it behind her and move on. Shirogane was a jerk, and he didn't want anything to do with Ichigo. It explained why he left, and it also explained why he kissed her. She didn't think any more about it than that. Thinking about it any more than that hurt, and she didn't want her life to be full of misery because one pig-headed man had walked in and out of her life on a whim.

Ichigo passed by Mint and frowned, watching her sip her tea calmly as if she had no cares in the world. The habit had still not been broken and it upset Ichigo, who had hoped that over the years Mint would abandon her pretentious habit and dedicate herself to working and helping out more. She had not, and Ichigo glared as she continued toward the kitchen, feeling thoroughly short-ended by the deal. She felt that Mint was just as capable of working as she was.

Lettuce approached Ichigo, noticing the sour look on her face, and tried to placate her.

"Oh, it's not so bad Ichigo." Ichigo looked dubiously at her. "Well, at least you get the satisfaction of knowing that you work hard."

Ichigo nodded, knowing that what the shy girl said was true, but knowing did nothing to ease her feelings of injustice. No matter what anyone said, there was no way she would ever feel like it was fair for Mint to take a tremendously long tea break during busy work hours.

"Ichigo, there's a line of customers waiting; you should get back to work." Mint smirked as Ichigo looked over to her, pure hatred on her face. "Don't stare at me like that, there are people waiting to be served!"

Ichigo ground her teeth together as a way of restraining her rage, then she darted off toward the kitchen, knowing that she needed to distance herself from the self-assured girl. By the time Ichigo reached the kitchen, all thoughts of Mint were pushed from her mind and she had gone back to thinking about work. She looked around the kitchen for their most recent chef, who at this time happened to be Masaya, and frowned when she could not find him.

The day she came into work and found Masaya in the kitchen, Ichigo had nearly screamed. She had not expected to see Masaya again, and she definitely had not expected to be forced to work with him nearly every day of her teenage life. Her break off with Masaya had been slightly upsetting, and afterward she had planned on avoiding him entirely, deciding that it was better to live separate lives. All of her plans, however, were dashed when she discovered that he was her new coworker, and that he was her chef, which meant that she had to make contact with him more than a few times during her day. It was hard, but Ichigo managed.

"Masaya, I have an order! I'm leaving it on the counter!" She looked around carefully once again, making sure that she had not simply overlooked him, then set the order down lightly on the counter next to a pile of flour. She hoped he would find it, and she was pretty sure that he would. Despite being her ex-boyfriend, he was still a good guy and worked hard at his job.

Ichigo began to scream when a hand clamped around her wrist, but promptly closed her mouth when she realized that it was Masaya. His hands were pasty white due to the flour he had to handle, and they were smooth and baby soft, even against her feminine flesh. She tried to tug her wrist away gently, but Masaya held on tight. She gazed into his eyes, looking for a reason for his behavior, and her eyes met with his, which were now a steely gray color rather than an oblivious smokey color. His serious face frightened Ichigo, reminding her briefly of Deep Blue, and she again tried to tug her hand away.

"Hold on, Momomiya." She looked at him once more and noticed that his eyes had changed again, this time less threatening than before, but they still held a determination. "I just want to talk to you."

Ichigo in no way wanted to talk to Masaya, and so she began to throw excuses at him, most of which were truthful.

"I can't talk right now, Masaya, there are too many customers waiting to be served. There's just too much to do right now to stop and talk." She pleaded at him with her eyes and he finally relented, allowing her hand to slip slowly from his. He seemed disappointed when she left the kitchen, but Ichigo was too flustered to notice.

She had not expected Masaya's strange reaction and it upset her, mostly due to the fact that she no longer held feelings for him. She felt bad for having to run away from him like that, but she just wasn't ready to talk to him again, not yet anyway. The hurt was visible in his eyes as she left, but she couldn't bring herself to stay in his presence for longer than was necessary; any time she was near him her heart clenched painfully, as if there was something in her life that was missing. Ichigo knew what was missing, but she wouldn't admit it to anyone.

* * *

Ryou sighed, gazing longingly out of the window as the scenery passed by outside the car. It had been so long since he had last been in Tokyo, and now that he had returned, so had all of the unfinished feelings he had left behind. It was true, his heart still ached for Ichigo, and he hoped that she would be able to forgive him for leaving like he had. He knew that it would hurt her, but at the time he had been unable to think of any better way to do what he had needed to do, but now that he was back, he was hoping she would forgive him the pain he caused her. It would take time, he knew, but he was willing to wait.

"We're nearing the cafe, Ryou...Are you sure you're ready to face her again?" Akasaka looked at his friend, his eyes soft and pitying. He knew that being back in the city was hard on him, but he had not argued when it was said that they would return. Just like Ryou, Akasaka had also missed the city and the people he knew within it. He was glad to be home, even though it brought obvious pain to his friend to be there.

"I'm ready, Keichiiro." Ryou looked at his friend, and Akaska swore that he was about to cry. "I miss her so much, Keichiiro; what if she doesn't forgive me?"

Akaska did not want to consider the possibility, and neither did the blonde-haired man sitting next to him. It had been a few years since they had left, and though it provided Ichigo with time to get over it, he was sure that she still felt the hurt deep inside her self. He was also sure that the pain would be brought forth anew with their arrival. It would be a dramatic and emotional event for sure.

* * *

Ichigo watched as Masaya paced in front of her, his nerves obviously running high and wild. He had asked her to meet him after work so that they could continue their earlier discussion, and Ichigo was still just as uneasy about it as she had been before. She could not quite say why, but she felt as if something was going to happen. Something big.

"Um, Ichigo." Ichigo looked quickly up at him and he flinched, not expecting her to be so attentive. "I...I would like it if we could give us another try."

Ichigo gasped, not expecting the statement that slipped from Masaya's lips. She had never thought that he would try asking again, and the fact that he did ran over her like a large truck; she wished that he had not asked. Ichigo did not want to tell Masaya this, but he was too much of a stressor for her, especially at this time in her life. She frowned, not knowing how to break the news to Masaya.

"Mm..." she began, her next words still tumbling over themselves inside her mind. "Masaya...I'm-"

Masaya threw up his hands. "No! I mean, don't answer me now! Think about it for a little while. I don't want you to make a rushed decision."

Ichigo sighed, grateful that he did not want an answer right away, because truthfully, she wasn't ready to give him one yet. At this point, she wasn't sure if she should wait for Shirogane still, or just move on with her life and start getting back into the dating scene. The thought of dating anyone other than Shirogane, who she had never dated anyway, terrified her, and Ichigo shivered, wishing that the blonde-haired man was back in her life making things miserable for her. It had taken a while to admit, but not being hounded by the dangerously good-looking man every day was boring, and most days Ichigo just couldn't find it in herself to actually want to go to work. After all, it wasn't like the replacement Shirogane had hired was much of worker, and he usually just sat around munching on a piece of cake.

A loud disruption from in the other room caught both of the youngster's attentions and then glanced at the door, not sure if they wanted to risk going into the main room. Not that it happened often, or even at all in the history of the cafe, but neither wanted to take the chance of walking into a robbery unarmed. Ichigo looked over at Masaya, her blood racing through her veins and making her dizzy, then nodded as he put his finger to his lips and crouched low to the ground. The sound of footsteps got nearer and louder and Ichigo whimpered, afraid of what was going to happen.

When the doors open, neither body moved at first, simply waiting to see what would happen. Seconds passed painfully by as they sat, crouching on the flour-covered kitchen floor, and then words were spoken. At first Ichigo had thought it was her imagination, but when more words came and she peeked around the counter, she couldn't help but cry out when she saw Shirogane standing in the doorway with Akasaka. She bolted up, sending a light cloud of flour flying around, and tears instantly began to stream down her face.

"Shirogane," she sobbed, unable to do anything else but cry helplessly while he watched her. "You came back!"


End file.
